Life-saving device.



R. W. HUDSON H. B. SPENCER.

LIFE SAVING DEVICE. APPLICATION FILEYD MAR. 24. ms.

1 ,200,6 1 6 Patented Oct. 10, 1916. v

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R. W. HUDSON & H. B. SPENCER.

LIFE SAVING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 24. 1916.

1,200,616. Patented Oct. 10,1916.

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ED STATES BATE o EroE.

ROBERT WALTER HUDSON AND HENRY BUSH SPENCER, OF OTTAWA, ONTARIO, CANADA, ASSIGNORS OF ONE-FOURTH TO RUPERT WILLIAM NICHOLS, OF OTTAWA, ONTARIO, CANADA, AND ONE-FOURTH TO ALBERT EDMUND HUDSON,

or CALGARY, ALBERTA, CANADA.

LIFE-SAVING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 10, 1916.

Application filed March 24, 1916. Serial No. 86,461.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, ROBERT WALTER HUosoN and HENRY BUSH SrENoER, both subjects of the King of Great Britain, and residents of the city of Ottawa, Province of Ontario, Dominion of Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Life=Saving Devices, of which the following is the specification. I p

' This invention relates to improvements in life saving devices particularly adapted for maritime use.

Vessels of the navy or mercantile marine are in many cases destroyed and little or no time is allowed the crew or passengers to launch life boats, and also during a naval engagement the boats are invarlably destroyed so that there is no, available means left to eflect escape from drowning, and one of the objects of the present invention is to provide a device which can be worn at all times without inconvenience when in a danger zone, and which can be readily inflated to give the necessary buoyancy to the wearer so that there is no danger of the wearer being submerged and the possibilities of being picked up by rescuing parties are greatly extended.-

Further objects are to readily inspect the several parts and render them capable of performing the functions required of them.

With the above objects in view the invention consists essentially of the improved construction particularly described and set forth in the following specification and accompanying drawings forming part of the same.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a front elevation of the improved device. Fig. 2 is an inside view of a waist coat showing the improved device mounted therein, Fig. 3 is a side elevation of a waist coat showing the location of the container in which chemicals are carried to provide the necessary gas to inflate the envelops of the device. Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation of one form of the chemical container. Fig. 5 is a side elevation of an alternative form of container. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the clip used with the container shown in Fig. 5.

Like characters of reference refer to like parts in the several figures.

Referring to the drawings, A represents operatively connected by the flexible tubes 11 and 12 to the side envelops 13 and 1 1, all of which are secured between the lining and the cloth of the garment. These envelops are made of water proof silk, rubber or the like provided with vertically extending corrugations 15 which permit of the device snugly fitting the wearer and providing the necessary large surface so that an adequate volume is obtainable when the envelop is inflated without in any way straining the walls thereof. The envelops 10, 13 andlt will be so shaped as to conform to the lines of the garment with which they are being used. To facilitate in locating the device B in position the waist coat is provided with dome fasteners 16 securing the lining to the cloth, and the space between the back of the waist coat and the sides of the same is bridged with elastic 17 or like material permitting the garment to yield to any desired extent.

' The envelop 10 is operatively connected by a tube 18 to a chemical container G divided into two compartments 19 and 20 in the latter of which bicarbonate of potash is placed while the former is used to carry acetic acid. Communication between the two compartments 19 and 20 is obtained through the conical valve seat 21 which is normally closed by the needle valve 22, the upper end of which makes threaded engagement with the casing C and is provided with a thumb and finger grip 23 to permit of its ready actuation. To permit of readily filling or replenishing the compartments 19 and 20 screw caps 2d and 25 are provided closing conduits or openings in the said compartments, while the compartment 20 is further provided with an outlet pipe 26 which connects with one end of the tube 18.

In Fig. 5 an alternative form of chemical container G is set forth which is preferably made of rubber and is closed intermediate of its length to form two compartments 27 and 28 by a resilient clip D comprising a member 29 having a rectangular orifice 30 through one end and a locking device 31 at the other end, this member coacting with a resilient locking plate 32 provided at one end with an offset tongue 33 adapted to engage with the rectangular orifice 30 and provided with a bifurcated end 34 adapted to engage with the locking device 31. The container 0 is provided with an inlet conduit 35 closed by a cap 36 while the lower compartment is provided with an outlet conduit 37 adapted to be engaged with the tubes 18 in a manner similar to that described with reference to the container C. In filling the container C it is only necessary to remove the resilient clip D and fill the lower end of the container with the requisite amount of bicarbonate of potash whereupon the clip D is replaced and the upper compartment 27 so formed is filled with acetic acid of the desired strength. In practice we have found it advisable to dilute the acetic.acid with two parts of water to one of acid.

l/Vhen the device is in use the garment A is put on by the wearer and secured in position, whereupon when that type of container 0 shown in Fig. 4: is utilized the needle valve 22 is operated to permit of the acetic acid from the compartment 19 entering into the compartment 20 where coming in contact with the bicarbonate of potash the gases liberated pass through the conduit 26 into the tube 18 and thence to the central envelop 10 which in turn supplies the side envelops 13 and 14 through the tubes 11 and 12. When the desired inflation of the en velops 10, 13 and 14 has been obtained the needle valve 22 may be closed.

The operation with regard to the device equipped with a container G illustrated in Fig. 5 is similar to that of a device equipped with the container G, the only difference,

. being that the resilient clip D is released to the desired extent to permit of the requisite quantity of acetic acid leaving the upper compartment 27 of the container and entering the lower compartment 28 where coming in contact with the bicarbonate of potash the gases evolved are delivered through the pipe 37 to the tube 18 and so fills the envelops. The clip D may be replaced when the desired inflation of the envelops has taken place.

It will be readily appreciated that any person using a garment of this description if subjected to shipwreck would have every possible chance of being saved and picked up by rescuing parties.

s many changes could be made in the above construction and many apparently widely different embodiments of our invention, within the scope of the claim, constructed without departing from the spirit or scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the accompanying specification and drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

\Vhat we claim as our invention is:

The combination with a garment, of a life saving device comprising a central envelop, side envelops operatively connected by fiexible tubes to the central envelop, the said envelops being provided with vertically extending corrugations in the walls thereof, and a chemical container subdivided into an upper and lower compartment. the latter of which is operatively connected to the central envelop.

In witness whereof we have hereunto set our hands.

ROBERT WALTER HUDSON. HENRY BUSH SPENCER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

